Pepper Pips
by Stormyskies89
Summary: 14 years ago, Detective Scott Valens lost his parents in a shooting. His parents and his baby sister were all shot. Scott thought he'd lost them all, but his baby sister survived and to him that is all that really matters.


**Title:** Pepper Pips

**Summary:**_ 14 years ago, Detective Scott Valens lost his parents in a shooting. His parents and his baby sister were all shot. Scott thought he'd lost them all, but his baby sister survived and to him that is all that really matters._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Cold Case (love to own Danny Pino though)

**A/N:** Wikipedia told me Scotty was born sometime in the 1970s but I have just brought him back a few years. I'm not sure how long the Police Academy trains you for, but I have him being born in 1981, making him about 28.

**2****nd**** A/N: **Also I know it's said he has a number of siblings, though only one has appeared on the show. I have invested in a younger sister; who is about 11 years Scotty's Junior. His mother also as far as I know is not dead but in this fic she is as is his father.

**3****rd**** A/N:** NO FLAMES! Not Accepted. Thank-you.

* * *

"Can I help you?" Detective Lilly Rush paused by a young girl who was sitting, waiting. She had long dark hair and dark eyes. She had olive skin and looked Latino. She reminded Lilly a little of Scotty Valens.

"Oh, I'm waiting to see Detective Valens." The young girl said; Lilly estimated that she was probably 16 or 17.

"Do you want me to tell him you're here?" Lilly offered.

"Yeah, tell him Pips is here. He'll know." She assured the confused looking detective. Lilly nodded and left the girl sitting there.

"Scotty? A girl, she says her name is Pips, is here." Scotty Valens looked up from the paper work to glance from Lilly to the girl, who had glanced over at the same second. He closed his eyes and took deep breath.

"What is she doing here…?" He muttered walking over. Lilly, still a little confused, followed him back.

"Pips, what are you doing here? I told you never to come here. Especially when it's a school day. What are you skipping school now?" Scotty said, as the girl stood up and hugged him tightly. He reluctantly returned the hug.

"Scotty…I'm sick and tired of being silent. I have to help you solve the case." She said. Scotty looked hard at the girl. Lilly now realized a likeness. She had to be related to Scotty somehow, a sister maybe? Cousin? The affection between them had to point to sister. But what did she mean case?

* * *

"The 14-year-old murder of your parents? Scotty you can't be serious." Lilly said as she handed him the box, she hadn't realized that it had _1995,_ _Valens R & R._ Ramiro and Rosa.

"I didn't see anything, Lils. I was under my bed in my room. I was 14. All I could say was I heard was three gunshots. The first shot was for my father; my mother screamed at me to get Pepper and run. But I couldn't move. My mother was next and then I heard Pepper screaming…then a third shot." Scotty said as he lifted the lid off the box and pulled out the report. Written by a 14-year-old Scotty Valens. Lilly ran her eyes over it; it was indeed what he just said. When his parents starting yelling his got out of bed and saw the guy with his back to Scotty holding a gun and ran back and hid under his bed. He hid there until he heard the guy leave, which meant heard the car start up and drive away, he got up and ran to his parent's room. There finding his parents dead and his sister, hurt and screaming he got her to calm down as he grabbed the phone and dialled 911, even if he'd never had to.

Scotty counted that as the one time he'd ever consider what he was going to do when he grew up. He was going to be a cop. Because he was going to make people see justice. But the one case he wanted to solve, never got solved. His Parents' case. Now Pepper was ready to break her silence and help him. She was the only person besides his parents who saw the killer up close. But she was 3! How could she possibly remember what she saw?

* * *

"Scotty?" Pepper cringed as his grip on her arm tightened, "Scotty, you're hurting me!" Pepper tried to tug her arm free but Scotty dragged her down the stairs and shoved her into a Philly PD SUV and got in beside her in the driver's seat.

"I'm taking you back to school, where you belong." He growled before slamming the car into gear and leaving. Pepper was scared, her brother had never yelled at her before. She was shaking when he pulled up at her school, Philly Senior School.

"Scotty…I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were so agasint it." Pepper said not moving. Scotty put his forehead on the steering wheel.

"I'm not against I Pips. I just…I don't know whether I'm ready to re-live that night again. It's very different when you're on the other side of the badge. You remember when the cops came to talk to us in the day after? I held you on my hip, til Child Services came to put you in that foster home. You didn't want to go. I got to stay with Mike, but you…you were taken." Scotty had never revealed any of this to Pepper before, "you screamed. You wanted to stay with Mike and me." Pepper reached out and put her hand on Scotty's shoulder. She was aware of some of her school mates could see her in a car with this guy, they didn't know, so they thought either she was in serious trouble or she was tapping an older guy.

"Scotty, I had no idea you were so cut up over that." Pepper said softly.

"I couldn't sleep for days afterwards. Mike tried everything." Scotty said. Pepper pulled Scotty to her and hugged him, his arms went around her.

"I worked it out when I was 10. Exactly how old you were and I asked to go and live with you. _I_ asked them to send me here to Philly. They knew I put up a fight if they didn't. So they agreed. It was me who put me here Scotty. I'm sorry I ever made you think that I want to relive it, because I don't want to either, but it's for the best. It'll be closed, we'll never have to relive it again" Pepper said.

"Pips…it doesn't matter if that case is never closed to me, all the matters to me is that you're ok. You lived through that night and for that I am grateful. I only care about that right now." Scotty said giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks Scotty." Pepper said getting ready to get out of the SUV.

"You're welcome Pepper Pips." He said as she slid out. She paused and blew him a kiss before going back into the schoolyard.


End file.
